(AP)Gunner Kiel’s time at Notre Dame was over before it even began.
The rising redshirt freshman has opted to transfer, according to coach Brian Kelly, after spending the past season behind sophomore starter Everett Golson on the depth chart.
While Kelly didn’t name Kiel’s potential destination, he did say Kiel’s list of transfer schools did not include any of the Irish’s upcoming opponents. Notre Dame plays Temple, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC, Air Force, Navy, Pitt, BYU and Stanford on its 2013 schedule.
Kelly said he was a little surprised Kiel, the nation’s best pro-style quarterback from the 2012 class, wanted to transfer, especially since the coaching staff had told him he’d have an ample opportunity to compete for the starting role this spring.
"We had kind of created an opportunity for him to compete in the spring," Kelly said. "So maybe a little surprised from that standpoint, because he was actually told he'd be given the opportunity to compete. Sometimes when you don't hear that, you wouldn't be surprised.
"While we are sad when kids don't go through the entire program, we want what's best for them. We are educators as well as coaches."
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